This study explored youths' experiences and perceptions about community engagement as a result of participating in a community-based data collection project using paper and mobile technology park environmental audit tools. In July 2014, youth (ages 11-18, n=50) were recruited to participate in nine focus groups after auditing two parks each using paper, electronic, or both versions of the Commu...

QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY The objective of this study was to estimate the potential budget impact and cost-effectiveness of the combination treatment of a cholinesterase inhibitor and memantine in Switzerland. METHODS The prevalence of dementia according to European sources and future Swiss population data were used to estimate the number of patients with Alzheimer's dementia in Switzerland. Both...

Congestive heart failure (CHF) therapeutics is generated through a well-described evidence generating process. Phases 1 - 3 of this process are required prior to approval and widespread clinical use. Phase 3 in almost all cases is a methodologically sound randomized controlled trial (RCT). After this phase it is generally accepted that the treatment has a significant, independent and prognostic...

In this report, the authors conducted case studies of five health plans that received high scores on quality and resource utilization, using data collected by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. The focus of this study was to understand how health plans with delivery systems that include a significant network of independent, community physicians achieve high performance. Plan leaders ...

BACKGROUND Although previous work has suggested that anemia is associated with an increased mortality in selected patients with congestive heart failure (CHF), little is known about the prevalence and predictors of anemia, or whether anemia is an independent prognostic factor in unselected, community-based patients with CHF. METHODS AND RESULTS We analyzed a population-based cohort of patient...

BACKGROUND Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) may experience higher mortality of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) than patients without CHF due to insufficient cardiovascular responses during systemic infection. We investigated 90-day mortality in SAB patients with and without CHF. METHODS Using population-based medical databases, we conducted a cohort study of all adult patients...

CONTEXT Approximately half of patients with overt congestive heart failure (CHF) have diastolic dysfunction without reduced ejection fraction (EF). Yet, the prevalence of diastolic dysfunction and its relation to systolic dysfunction and CHF in the community remain undefined. OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of CHF and preclinical diastolic dysfunction and systolic dysfunction in the co...

Measurement can help community development and health practitioners align and optimize their investments and leverage additional resources to achieve shared goals. However, there is no clear guidance for reconciling the established systems for measuring community development activities and outputs-such as housing units built, jobs created, and people served-with the outcomes and impacts of heal...